I nuzzled my cheek against his. “First and only,” I teased. Then my hand snaked towards his thighs. “Now it’s my turn to—”
“Chase.” Faust’s voice was as urgent as a blaring alarm. “Demon incoming.”
His sudden interruption disoriented me.
“What?” I asked out loud.
I saw the confusion on Sagitta’s face for a split second before I heard a huge thud and the sound of pounding hooves on the pier.
Sagitta leapt to his feet faster than I did. Instinctively, he reached for his bow.
But it wasn’t there. He’d left the apartment without it.
“Shit!” he cursed, panicked and furious.
I whipped my head in the demon’s direction. It was the size of a horse and resembled a goat on steroids, which was far more terrifying than it sounded. Its four hooves splintered the wood as it charged, its tire-sized horns pointed at us.
There was no time to think, and nowhere to run. The demon’s body spanned the whole width of the pier, and behind us was only the lake.
“Chase, get in the water,” Sagitta ordered. “I’ll—”
The demon was fast. It rolled its head, flinging its horns at Sagitta. He ducked and rolled away just in time to avoid getting his ribs crunched.
“I’ll distract it,” Sagitta called to me. Fear gripped his voice and I knew it was for my sake. “Go!”
I wasn’t going to abandon him, unarmed and alone. I wouldn’t.
“Chase!” he snapped.
The goat demon whinnied. Twisting around, it levelled a glare straight at me. I got the feelingIwas its real target. That filled me with a weird sense of relief. I didn’t want Sagitta to get hurt. If I dealt with the demon on my own, he’d be safe.
But I was no exorcist. I was just a normal fucking dude. I didn’t even have a weapon, holy or otherwise.
Faust’s voice echoed in my mind. “You’re wrong, Chase. You do have a weapon.”
Then I realized the truth. He was right.
Faust was my weapon.
“Do you love Sagitta?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Do you trust me?”
It was no longer a question. “Yes.”
Faust’s chuckle was dark and whimsical. “Then let’s put on a show.”
My body started to move on its own.
My legs broke into a run, straight at the charging demon. Being unable to control myself was surreal and terrifying. I felt like I was in a dream.
It’s Faust,I realized.He’s taken full control of my body.
I expected my heart to race, but it didn’t. My pulse was calm and collected, ticking only slightly faster from the thrill of it all. That made this feel even more alien.
The goat demon snorted when it saw my advance. It lowered its head and charged at me.
